How to Make Every Workout Better by Reaching Failure

At MEDFITNES we supervise our clients to work each exercise to a point of momentary muscle failure or momentary muscle fatigue. The goal is to safely stress the muscle beyond what it is capable of. Once your workout is complete, it is important to give your muscles at least 3 to 4 days to adapt to the stress of your workout. The adaptation (rest) phase is when your muscles get stronger and healthier. This adaptation shows up in your next workout when you are able to achieve the repetition that caused the momentary muscle failure. A good trainer will either ask for the next repetition (even if you think you cannot do it) or plan an increase in weight for your next workout. This process of stressing the muscle and resting the muscle repeats itself with every exercise and workout (this is progress).

The result of the above process is physical changes taking place within your body. You end up stronger with improved physical appearance, greater physical capacity, increased metabolic function, reduced risk of injury, and a multitude of other health benefits.

Think of your strength workout as a dose of medicine prescribed by your doctor. By working each exercise to momentary muscle fatigue, you are taking your medicine! If you don't reach muscle failure or momentary muscle fatigue you are not following the doctor's orders. Not following your doctor’s orders will prevent your body from improving and becoming healthier.

Don't let the word "failure" scare you. It is simply a word that describes the event of working the muscle hard enough to cause positive changes. Some trainers use the words "muscle success" to describe the very same thing. Working at this level of effort will change your body for the better when combined with sufficient rest between workouts.

Having supervised thousands of workouts over many years there is one thing we see with all our clients. The ones who work the hardest get the best results.